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Public Access Channel Appeals Funding Cut

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By Anthony McCartney | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 17, 2007

TAMPA - Attorneys for the Tampa Bay Community Network are appealing a federal judge's ruling upholding Hillsborough County's decision to cut the station's funding.

Hillsborough eliminated a $355,000 stipend to the station in its 2008 budget, which took effect Oct. 1. The station, also known as Speak Up Tampa Bay, sued the county, saying the decision to cut the funding amounted to censorship.

A judge disagreed this month.

The network filed a notice Wednesday that it was appealing the ruling to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. David Snyder, an attorney for public access, said his argument was unchanged: Hillsborough cut money to a station whose message it couldn't control.

The county still gives money to two stations, HTV22, which airs county programming, and The Education Channel.

Commissioners cut the budgets of both stations, but not enough to take them off the air.

The network, which still receives money from Tampa, will no longer allow unincorporated county residents to record shows in its studios as a result of the budget cut, its director has said.

Reporter Anthony McCartney can be reached at (813) 259-7616 or amccartney@tampatrib.com.

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